Garfield Re-2’s math score growth above state average for six out of eight grades

Student test scores were released statewide last week, and the Garfield School District Re-2 says it has a lot to be proud of with math scores on the rise, while other areas, like English language arts, still need work.

“The Garfield Re-2 students, educators and families are very committed to education, and I want to thank them for their continued pursuit of excellence,” Garfield Re-2 Superintendent Brent Curtice said in a press release. “This year’s results indicate we are moving the needle from a good school district to a great one. However, we must continue to strive for even more.”

According to a press release from Re-2, among the district’s focuses was the state growth data.

“The time and energy spent on math instruction appears to be paying off,” Curtice stated. “It takes three to five years before you begin to see movement in academic achievement after instructional focus has shifted.”

For the 2017-18 school year, six out of the eight grade levels measured (fourth through 11th grade) showed typical growth in math above the state median.

The growth rates for individual students is calculated by analyzing students’ Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) scores in English language arts and math over consecutive years, according to the Colorado Department of Education website.

The state median growth percentile for any grade is 50.0. Any grade with a number greater than 50 indicates a higher growth rate than the state average.

For Re-2, only fifth and sixth grade were below the state median in math.

For English language arts, however, some of the elementary and middle school numbers continue to come back below the state median growth percentile with fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade numbers failing to hit 50.0.

Fifth grade showed the biggest gap between the statewide median and Garfield Re-2, as the district dropped from 22.0 last year to 16.0 in 2018.

While the sixth grade score came in below the state average, the growth percentile increased significantly from 29.0 in 2017 to 45.0 in 2018, just below state average.

For the 2018-19 school year, Re-2 is introducing a new English instruction method for K-5, due in large part to the noticeable gaps between the former resource materials and the state standards, according to the district’s press release.

“We will now apply the same intense focus on English language arts with materials that address the state standards and instruction that has high fidelity to the state standards,” Curtice explained.

Garfield Re-2 students who met or exceeded expectations were up in both math and English language arts in 2018 compared with the last year, according to the numbers. With 21 percent of Re-2 math students meeting or exceeding expectations in math, the district is below the state average of 34 percent. For English language arts, the gap is about the same with the state average at 45 percent while Garfield Re-2 was just over 30 percent.

Results from the PSAT, administered to ninth and 10 grade students instead of the CMAS tests, showed Re-2 was below the state average for both grades. For ninth grade, Re-2’s total mean score was 863 while the state average is 962.

For 10th grade, Re-2’s score jumped to 881, with the state average at 944. The SAT, administered to 11th grade, showed Re-2’s score average at 962 with the state average at 1018.

Re-2 officials highlighted specific growth at several schools, with Highland Elementary showing notable growth in the 79th percentile in math and the 71 percentile in English language arts, both well into the high growth range.

Wamsley Elementary also showed growth above the state median, as well, with a 13-point jump in English learning growth over last year’s scores, according to the press release.